Dini Nurdiani

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Achieving Dreams Through English

Curhat | Thursday, 02 Nov 2023, 19:00 WIB

In 2019, to be precise in December, I took part in the Volleyball Referee Upgrading and Training organized by UPI Bandung. The Volleyball Referee Upgrading and Training lasted 4 days, there I received material about the rules of the game and the practice of volleyball refereeing, including future referee career paths which were explained clearly by the presenters.

That when you want to focus on the world of refereeing and be serious about it, the key is to be able to speak English, because in Indonesia you can count every woman international referee on your fingers. And because a career in the world of refereeing for women is easier because the quantity of female referees in Indonesia is still relatively small, so for female referees who can speak English it is a huge opportunity to continue advancing to the international arena.

From that moment on, I was determined to start learning English. After returning from the volleyball referee training, I told my husband about the experience I had during the training, including my plans to learn English. I am grateful that my husband can respond well and even fully supports what I want.

The beginning of learning English at BBC Karawang

Without thinking much, I immediately registered for an English course at BBC Karawang, because I teach from morning to afternoon, so I chose the evening course schedule. After 4 months of courses at BBC, I had completed the basic course and had not yet arrived when I was told by one of my friends to take a further course.

I want to try another way to learn English. When I first met in the BBC class, I learned an introduction to English, then got to know other friends from various circles. There are middle school students, high school students, and even those who already work in companies. The learning there is more about English formulas, maybe because it's a beginner class, so we are taught to understand the basics of English first.

There were several conversational practices carried out, but because I was still a beginner, I had to expand my English vocabulary more. After my 4 months at the BBC, I had finished the basic course and I didn't continue with it. I want to try another way to learn English.

Autodidactic English Learning Through YouTube and Other Social Media.

After 4 months passed, I studied at BBC Karawang. In honing the English I got from taking courses at the BBC, I tried to re-learn autodidactically through YouTube channels and other social media so that the English I had learned could be further developed. One of them is Naila Farhana's YouTube channel, with the title How to Learn English for Beginners Self-Taught (2023), this YouTube channel really helped me in learning English autodidactically.

Karawang Regency BKPSDM Summer Camp Event.

After studying autodidactically for a long time, I also had the opportunity to take part in the Summer Camp Event. There I deepened my English skills, because at that event I met many colleagues who could learn from each other and deepen their English skills. Apart from honing my English skills, I also gained a lot of experience from the Summer Camp Event

I also started to interact more using English in my daily habits and started listening to more Western songs and watching more films, so I hope to further deepen my skills in English. Sometimes I also interact with my students using English and teach them a little.

Even so, I still need to learn a lot. One way is to learn through YouTube videos, Tiktok or others. Sometimes I also like to study with my family, learning various things, such as how to pronounce them in English and so on.

Hopefully what I have learned, including by taking part in the Summer Camp Event held by BPSDM Karawang Regency, can broaden my knowledge and lead me to the peak of my hopes as an international Women's Volleyball Referee, which of course can make Karawang Regency proud.

Author’s Bio:

The author's full name is Dini Nurdiani, born in Karawang 5 May 1993. Currently working as a Sports Teacher at SMPN 1 Lemahabang Karawang.

The author's latest education is a Masters in Physical Education (S2) at the Pasundan Cimahi Teacher Training and Education College (STKIP).

The author is also a Level A National Volleyball Referee.

The author's hope is to become an International Volleyball Referee. Learning to write English articles is one way for the author to learn more about English.